Ed Miliband interview: Labour leader on becoming a father again, marriage and his public image

Ed Miliband has worries, real worries - and they are not about politics.

Ed Miliband has worries, real worries - and they are not about politics.

In a few days' time he is about to become a father for the second time.

And as any parent of more than one baby knows, the second time is more terrifying than the first because you know what is heading your way.

As he sits drinking tea in the sprawling expanse of the Leader of the Opposition's office in Westminster he is wondering if he has enough time before the birth to get the baby's room decorated.

"We are doing it up this weekend," he says. But with just days to go he is cutting it fine to say the least.

He has also been doing some last minute online shopping, picking up a double buggy on eBay. But unlike most second-timers he has an extra worry - his new baby is to be another boy to join 18-month-old Daniel.

A new pair of Miliband brothers are on the way. And after the drama between him and elder brother David, he has been privately joking he'll step in to stop them if they both want to be Labour leader in 40 years or so.

The 40-year-old, funnier and less fussy than most politicians, is also prepared to joke about his early mishap when he failed to get his name on the birth certificate of his first son. It caused a mass of critical comment about fathers failing to take responsibility for their children.

But he says it was just a slip-up as his partner Justine went to the registry office without him and it was only when she returned he realised he had to be present to put his name on the right form.

"It was a mess up on our part," he says before hastily correcting himself: "No - it was a mess up on my part." He adds: "I will be going down to the Register Office straight away this time."

And he will definitely take the chance to add his name to the first certificate.

He is also unequivocal that he will take two weeks' paternity leave.

There is expected to be criticism that he is abandoning his new job just four weeks after winning the leadership. It will also be just a few days after the ConDems unveiled £81billion of savage cuts in a plan expected to shape politics for years to come.

But Mr Miliband says: "I think I would get a lot more flak at home if I did not take my paternity leave. When you have got two it is going to be a handful. Both of us know it is going to be a handful.

"And I am going to stay at home and be as helpful as I can - as helpful as a man can be. As soon as the call comes, wherever I am I will hotfoot it back home. "And Harriet Harman is on red alert for Prime Minister's Question Time."

The importance of environmental lawyer Justine Thornton to Mr Miliband is obvious. She advises him on Prime Minister's Questions and tells him how things can look from outside the Westminster village.

elder David But he is clear the row about whether he should be married was a lot of chattering-class nonsense, worried about in the media and by politicians but nowhere else.

He says: "Justine and I will get married. But we are not going to get married because of politics." The young new leader has already impressed many with his nerveless performances in the Commons, during key speeches and in the TV studios.

In private he is also amazingly relaxed about the job, the size of the task ahead and the responsibilities he faces.

He is enjoying the role, enjoying meeting new people across the country and reshaping the Labour Party for the future. He has a quiet charm, taking a genuine interest in strangers, families and lives.

It was a quality sometimes in short supply when Labour were in office.

Asked how he thinks the public see him, he says: "I hope they see someone who is humble about the fact that we need to change, about the fact we need to accept we did some things wrong.

"I hope they see someone who is reasonable in tone. And I hope they see someone who is willing to listen to the public."

When I suggest his image is one of a geek, he laughs rather than bristles. "I have not read of these things. I don't know.

"But what I want people to know is this: I really care about people in this country.

"I am trying to do the best for them, first as opposition leader and then as Prime Minister.